Two national days – Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26) are celebrated officially at the Polo Grounds in the state capital. Unfortunately here is one state which does not even have a proper or permanent ground that is state owned and which has the dignity and bearing of a stadium that can accommodate a decent gathering without hindrance. After the JN Stadium was reserved exclusively for I-league football matches because of the much vaunted artificial turf being laid on it, no other programmes/functions are allowed inside. All other functions, including important official ones are held in the ground adjacent to the Stadium which belongs to some private Trust. Each time there is an official function hectic preparations have to be made at some cost. Neighbouring Assam has the Judges Field for all official functions. Every other state capital has its own parade ground. But not Meghalaya! And after 41 years of statehood we don’t have a ground that is good enough for the Chief Minister or the Governor to take the salute!
There was a time when the Garrison Ground was utilised not only for national day functions but also for sports and games. This was suddenly reversed after Meghalaya became a state and the army appropriated the ground completely, not even allowing it to be used for national day functions. Attempts made by successive governments to get the grounds for its use have fallen on deaf ears. This also reveals the huge gap and distrust between the army and civilians. Why can’t infrastructure be shared for public purposes at least twice a year? What security reasons prevent that from happening? One of the reasons why the public feel a sense of disconnect from the army is this propensity of the latter to turn every space into a fortress of sorts by cordoning it off from the public. It is time for the Government to assert itself and decide where to have two of the most important functions symbolising India’s freedom and its sovereign status.
